MAIL NOTIONS

Globe, Volume XXIV, Issue 2652, 6 October 1882, Page 2

MAIL NOTIONS

Mails close for the following placet as under (subject to the necessary alterations) SATURDAY, OCTOBER 7. For the United Kingdom, Continents of Europe and America, West Indies and Cope of Good Hope (via San Francisco), Sandwich Islands, Northern Ports of New Zealand, Ac., per Hawes, as follows :—Ordinary letters, at 6.30 p.m. ; late fee letters, at 7 p.m. ; books and newspapers, at 6.30 p.m.; money orders, at 3 p.m.; registered letters, at 5 p.m.; guard’s van, 8.13 p.m. train. This mail will be due in London on November 20tfa.

made when the said blocks are subdivided should be borne, in whole or in part, by the town district. Another section of persons are of opinion that the Commissioners should . take over no streets unless they have previously been formed and metalled.' A good deal of correspondence on the subject has been going on in our morning contemporary the “ Press." It was started by a gentleman calling himself “ Ratepayer,” who argned that it would bo a short-sighted policy on the part of the Board of Commissioners were they to refuse to contribute towards the formation of new roads bocanse they should encourage settlement by every means in their power, and because, when a block of laud is cut up and more thickly inhabited, it adds largely to the rates of the district, and therefore it is only fair that the district should bear part of the cost of settlement. “Ratepayer’s” letter has boon followed by several others, two of tho Commissioners themselves entering tho arena amongst the rest. Those latter letters taka an entirely different view to that adopted by “ Ratepayer," pointing out amongst other items that for years nearly all Borough Councils £»d Road Boards have made the vendors of blocks of land bear the cost of the roads made to open out their sections. Tho matter, however, has been practically settled by the resolution adopted at last night’s mooting of tho Commissioners, whan Mr. McDiarmid’s motion was carried to the effect that “No roads bo taken over less than three-quarters of a chain in width ; and all roads from vendors of property to he properly formed and metalled, and that the levels and the metal be approved of by the Commissioners or their surveyor.”

Notwithstanding the specious arguments brought forward by “ Ratepayer,” it is very evident that the Commissioners hare done the right thing in adopting the course they havo resolved on. There is no reason why a town distrist should adopt a platform different from that which experience haa taught us has been the best hitherto for boroughs and Road Boards. It is perfectly true that the district benefits by the cutting up and selling of blocks of land, because the rates are thereby increased, but it must be remembered that, even when formed, the roads do not keep themselves in order. A considerable annual expenditure has to be incurred to maintain them in good working trim. Moreover the residents on the newly purchased land will travel over the main roads of the district, and the wear and tear of the said main road will be made all the greater in consequence. We venture to assert that the balance in favor of the Town District—taking into consideration on one side the increased rates, and on the other the increased expenditure on streets and roads, on increased lighting, &c., &c., —will not be found largely on the credit side. That ia viewing the equity of the question solely from the point of view that would be adopted by a person bearing in mind only the question of profit and loss to the district. And when wo come to taka the position of the vendor of the block of land into consideration we still fail to see that he can make out a case for the district being compelled to form the roads which add so much to the value of his property. He has most probably bought the ground for what would be considered in these days a mere song, and it certainly cannot be considered hard to require him to give proper facilities to the purchasers to settle comfortably on the land which he sells at such an enhanced price. His land having hitherto been rated low, he has, up to date, paid comparatively little towards the general prosperity of the district. The main roads and general improvements in the locality are what have enabled him to cnt up his property to advantage. Why, it may fairly be asked, should he throw on the district at largo the cost of properly settling his land ? A block cut up without proper roads and streets cannot be said to be properly settled. It cannot be argued that the man who subdivides bis land for building purposes is moved by purely philanthropic purposes, and that his main object is to give homes to the comparatively poor man, and to increase the rate roll of the district. We all know that the sole object of the vendor is to make money, and ha cannot expect the district to aid him in the operation. ' The formaiion of roads through his property to render it thoroughly inhabitable is part and parcel of the scheme which he has developed. A man when ho enlarges his premises, and thereby adds to its rateable value, does not look to the District or Borough to help him, because it will get more money out of him in the shape of rates. The feeling of soreness naturally evinced by Christchurch ratepayers with regard to the formation of Carter’s lane and the right-of-way through the triangle, have shown, clearly enongb, how the land lies in this respect. The blundering of city officials in these two instances threw ou the city the coat of enhancing private property, and the fact was not taken kindly to by the inhabitants. “ Ratepayer” and a few others may imagine that they have made oat a special case for the formation of new streets in the Woolaton Town District, but we fancy that the public at largo will not agree with them, but will cordially endorse the action taken by the Commissioners.